The race is on for the four-year term of District 5 Cape Coral City Council representative in Lee County.
To better inform voters in advance of the August primary, The News-Press asked candidates to respond to questions that covered a variety of topics including top priorities, water runoff, community planning, affordable housing and other issues.
- Name: Charlie Pease
- Age: 41
- Previous Experience: Lifelong educator (teacher, assistant principal, principal) who is director of Cape Technical College. Board membership with Cape Charter School Authority Governing Board, Cape Museum of History and Cape Mayor’s Scholarship Fund. Co-founder of Keep Our Parks and Rec Cape Coral and member of Urban Land Institute, Cape Advisory Panel, Cape Economic Development Strategic Planning Roundtable, a state Department of Education workforce education funding committee and Cape Chamber of Commerce.
- Pease has raised about $11,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions for his campaign.
Here's what you should know about the District 5 race and a Q&A with Pease.
About the Cape Coral City Council District 5 position
- While Cape Coral is broken down into seven districts, council members are elected at large, so all city voters can cast ballots for non-partisan candidates, regardless of what district they reside.
- District 5 includes the west quadrant of mid-Cape Coral.
- Council members are paid a base annual salary of $37,368.96. Last year, the council approved stipends worth another $39,996 a year.
Who is Pease running against in the election 2024 primary?
Pease is running against Joseph Kilraine, Jason Conzelman and Robert Welsh, the incumbent. The two with the highest totals on Aug. 20 advance to the Nov. 5 general election.
Here are Pease's answers to our questions:
What experience do you have in leadership that has prepared you for this role? What is your greatest accomplishment as a leader?
I’ve been a successful school administrator for 12 years, working under the umbrella of a school district similar in structure to the city of Cape Coral government. I work closely with leaders across several divisions of a large bureaucracy to achieve our goals. I believe my ability to lead people, engage with the community, communicate effectively, solve problems creatively, and manage resources and budgets responsibly makes me a highly qualified candidate.
I’m currently leading a $25 million campus expansion project at Cape Coral Technical to bring “blue collar” postsecondary workforce training programs to our city for the first time.
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What do you see as are your district’s top priorities? What is the first issue you’d tackle?
My top priorities for District 5 are the same for the entire city and they are all interrelated.
Restoration of Trust: Ending the stipend and listening to residents. This includes restoring advisory boards, adding townhall meetings, proactive updates on projects and transparent decision-making.
Smart Growth: Infrastructure planning for traffic, stormwater management, water and sewer Utilities Extension Project (UEP that includes cost reduction strategies), amenities, parks and conservation of green spaces.
Fiscal Responsibility: Ensuring taxpayer money is used effectively to benefit our community while keeping taxes as low as possible. This includes budget transparency and restoration of the Budget Review Committee.
Why should people vote for you instead of your opponents?
In the Cape Coral City Council District 5 race it comes down to who voters believe can get things done and who brings the right level of passion, energy, and commitment to our city’s future. I’m rooted in our community (born and raised here), I’m involved in our community, and I am a leader in our community today. I will thoughtfully represent all residents and always fight for what is right for our city’s future.
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Cape Coral has grown significantly, but some residents believe the city is getting too big. How would you proceed with regard to laws dealing with growth management, road construction and preservation?
Development of a Comprehensive Plan outlining objectives and policies informed by a wide range of constituencies and data is an important role of government. Future Land Use and Zoning maps and consistent development regulations help ensure proper growth management. While I’m a strong believer in supply and demand, I believe our government does play a role in ensuring that the infrastructure is in place first (e.g., proper roads to handle traffic) to support all residents as we grow. The right growth and mix of commercial businesses can be guided through fair and appropriate zoning and sub-zoning regulations.
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What’s your stance on the voting in of a stipend that significantly increased what members receive? How would you address council pay?
I’ll vote to rescind the stipend, and I will not accept the stipend. On Dec. 13, notonecouncil member pulled the stipend resolution from the consent agenda for public discussion.One member voted “no” on theentireconsent agenda (which included 10 other important items) and claims to have therefore voted “no” on the stipend. Their vote, without transparency, opened a can of worms that must be corrected through a change in the city charter that will require a public referendum vote for any form of council compensation increase moving forward. I will work to make that charter change.
What specific efforts will you advocate for, as it relates to affordable and workplace housing?
If quality housing that’s affordable can be achieved through grant support and sustainable government programs that help lower home costs for hard-working, qualifying residents who face being priced out of our community, then I'm open to pursuing these avenues. We should also continue to participate in programs such as the State Housing Initiative Partnership Program to assist qualifying residents with down payment assistance and other housing related services. We should not build large “affordable housing” multi-family complexes that have the potential to bring blight to the city and have a negative impact on surrounding properties.
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What will you do to protect water quality and reduce stormwater runoff? What policies will you push in taking action against polluters?
I will support continued public education and outreach to residents on proper use of fertilizers, pesticides and other potential contaminants. I will also work to hold polluters accountable through enforcement of penalties for improper disposal of waste and construction site runoff that is not managed properly. Penalties for repeat offenders should be severe. Additionally, I’ll work collaboratively with our legislators to promote policies and practices that mitigate impacts from Lake Okeechobee discharges and divert polluted water away from the Caloosahatchee River. We also need to protect our wetlands and vegetative buffers.
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What needs to be done on transparency and accountability in local government, and how will you instruct the city manager on best practices in providing public information and accessibility?
We need to move all public meetings to the evenings, and we need to expand opportunities for dialogue through additional public forums. Volunteer citizen advisory boards should be reinstated to bring a range of expertise, lived experience, and ideas to the table. We should make every effort to proactively communicate with the public about ongoing and upcoming projects. I would ask the city manager and his staff to seek feedback from citizens on the most effective ways to keep the public informed and then implement those ideas. All videos and information should be easily and intuitively accessible and searchable.
Based at the Naples Daily News,Columnist Phil Fernandez(pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has ledPulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy.Subscribe to a newspaper.
